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Clock-a-Clay

By John Clare

Topics: classic

In the cowslip pips I lie,     Hidden from the buzzing fly,     While green grass beneath me lies,     Pearled with dew like fishes' eyes,     Here I lie, a clock-a-clay,     Waiting for the time of day.     While the forest quakes surprise,     And the wild wind sobs and sighs,     My home rocks as like to fall,     On its pillar green and tall;     When the pattering rain drives by     Clock-a-clay keeps warm and dry.     Day by day and night by night,     All the week I hide from sigh;     In the cowslip pips I lie,     In rain and dew still warm and dry;     Day and night, and night and day,     Red, black-spotted clock-a-clay.     My home shakes in wind and showers,     Pale green pillar topped with flowers,     Bending at the wild wind's breath,     Till I touch the grass beneath;     Here I live, lone clock-a-clay,     Watching for the time of day.

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"In the cowslip pips I lie,..."

This evocative piece by John Clare, titled "Clock-a-Clay", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:John Clare

"In the cowslip pips I lie,..." by John Clare

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

John Clare

About John Clare

John Clare (1793–1864) was an English poet known as the "peasant poet" for his humble origins. His nature poetry—including "I Am" and "Badger"—captures the English countryside with extraordinary precision and emotional honesty, and he is now recognized as one of the finest nature poets in the language.

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